Join Romance Giveaways for all Giveaway Information

This week'sSpotlight on Author is on Christina Hollis
and her latest release HIS MAJESTY'S SECRET PASSION.
There's a Kindle Copy Giveaway of His Majesty's Secret Passion to one
commenter!

Tell us about yourself?

I'm
a married mum of two, who's been a full-time writer for a long time. At
first I wrote non-fiction articles for national magazines. My favourite
job in those days was producing a long-running series on gardening, for
a monthly publication aimed at Pre-School teachers. Then I branched out
into writing historical fiction for the Harlequin Masquerade line.
After that, I was seduced into writing contemporary escapist fiction,
which is my favourite discipline (so far).

What inspired you to be a writer?

I
can't remember a time when I haven't written. Not long after we were
married, my husband suggested I left my office job to see if I could
make a living from my writing. He's so supportive, you could really call
him my inspiration.

How did you choose your genre?

I
came up with the idea for an historical romance when I was about
fifteen, and spent my angst-ridden teenage years developing it. After a
lot of rejections, revisions and complete alterations, it was eventually
published as Knight's Pawn. Five more historical novels
followed, all written before I had a computer. I live in the depths of
the English countryside, so every bit of research meant towing small
children half way across the county, to our nearest reference library.
After a few years of doing this, I began to yearn for the glamor of
researching contemporary romance. Sitting at home flicking through
glossy magazines is a whole lot easier than wrangling a buggy up several
flights of stairs when the library lifts are out of order!

What made you tell this story and why did you write this book?I
wrote this book to escape from an endless winter of grey, cold, drizzly
days. Rain was lashing against the window, but in my imagination I was
soaking up the sun on a beach in Greece. Imagination is an amazing
thing. Central heating and double glazing are pretty useful at times
like that, too.

How did you come up with the title?Leo Gregoryanak had to give up his career as a brilliant medical student when his older brother, the King of Kharova, died. His Majesty's Secret Passion
opens as Leo is spending his last few weeks of freedom before his
coronation at an exclusive spa in Greece. He thinks a fling with
independent, like-minded Sara will be nothing but a quick distraction.
They both turn out to be so wrong. It becomes a life-changing, unstoppable love story.

What is your favourite scene?

I really enjoyed writing His Majesty's Secret Passion,
so choosing my favourite scene is difficult. As I enjoy romantic meals
with my husband, I think it has to be Leo and Sara's dinner together.
You can read the extract on my blog, here: http://bit.ly/1BBzb8L. Sara
is determined to be stiff and businesslike, while Leo's intent on
making her relax. It's for her own good, but helping her soon throws his
own problems into the spotlight.

Tell us a little about your book?

Leo
and Sara both work far too hard. They each have very different reasons

for doing it, but the lives they left behind before they met on holiday
are making them unhappy. Their holiday romance starts as a glamorous
escape from reality, but it soon turns into much more. When Sara
discovers the dangerous truth Leo has been hiding from her, it blows
them apart. It takes a near tragedy to bring them together again.

Christina
Hollis writes contemporary fiction starring complex men and independent
women–when she isn't cooking, gardening or beekeeping. Her books have been
translated into more than a dozen languages, and she’s sold over two million
books worldwide. You can catch up with her at http://www.christinahollis.blogspot.com,
on Twitter, Facebook, and see a full list of her published
books at http://www.christinahollis.com. Her current release, His Majesty's Secret Passion, is published by Wild Rose Press.

Thanks for commenting, Jemi —and for the Tweets, too. I can definitely recommend writing (and reading) about sunshine and holidays as a cure for the winter blues. It's *almost* as good as being there—and a lot cheaper!

This sounds like an interesting book ... I hope it does really well xox

When I was younger I used to be into the historical books.. I read a series of them and fell in love with all the characters and as I grew up I realized there was a massive amount of work in these books... they spanned many years and many countries... they are a labor of love xox

Thanks for your good wishes, Launna. As you say, writing historical novels really is a labour of love. I promise myself I'll write another one soon, but at the moment I'm having such a great time writing contemporary romance...maybe next year! ;)

Bravo, Christina! And I agree with the ladies above. You are very lucky that your husband supports your choice of writing. I also agree that creating stories helps me get away from the dreary weather for a while. Good luck with your most recent book. You deserve it.

I love that her husband told her to leave her jobs and follow her writing dreams! THAT is awesome! :) After the winter we have been having, I can totally understand where Christina's inspiration came from. Wishing her the best of luck!~Jess